


Sam's First Holiday With Jack's Extended Family

by XWingKC



Series: Shipmas 2020 [1]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M, Shipmas 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:06:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28169730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XWingKC/pseuds/XWingKC
Summary: Part of the 2020 Shipmas8. Sam’s First Holiday With Jack’s Extended Family7. “How many candy canes have you eaten?”2. DecoratingThis is a one shot from one of my other fics calledHer Threads Undone. You do not have to have read the fic prior to this, as I backfill enough info in here to follow along. But it is the last chapter of Her Threads Undone that has the hook for this story. But again, you don’t need to read it all before you read this. This is meant to stand alone.
Relationships: Samantha "Sam" Carter/Jack O'Neill
Series: Shipmas 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2063637
Comments: 18
Kudos: 37





	Sam's First Holiday With Jack's Extended Family

“Sam, we’re going to be late!” he yelled from her Vegas bedroom.

She was running all over the apartment looking for her winter clothes. She had brought them with her to Vegas just in case she’d need to go to a cold climate in winter. Such was the case now. They were going to Minnesota after Christmas so she could meet Jack’s family.

He visited her at her place in Vegas for Christmas. They decided to get married. They had not planned on leaving Vegas for the holidays, but once they got married, they figured they’d better go and let Sam meet the family. And now that they had a baby on the way, it made sense for her to travel now instead of when she was further along.

He had also visited her for this birthday in October. He planned one of his inspections at that time so he could spend a long weekend with her, in bed, with no distractions. By October it had been months since they started their relationship, and months since they had seen each other. His October visit was the only time she could have gotten pregnant. 

She was about two full months along. Her clothes still fit, but the hormone changes had already started. She had sore, swollen breasts, she cried for no reason, and she had a craving for red Jell-O. Who the hell eats _red_ Jell-O, she asked herself. 

She also had a sexual appetite she could not really satiate. He wasn’t complaining about that. He tried to keep up with her, but as his body got older, there was only so much he could do. Oftentimes he’d have to revert to using his hands and mouth on her because certain things didn’t bounce back and stand at attention like it used to. His refractory period has gotten much longer these days. 

“I can only find one glove,” she yelled back from the closet up front.

“We can buy you a new pair when we get there. Caldwell is waiting on us,” he said.

He had called to see if any ships were in orbit. The Daedalus was up there. They figured they could use the technology since Sam basically built it. Sometimes it was nice to be The Man, even though many people used the transporters when a ship was in orbit. 

“OK, fine. Let me get my boots on,” she acquiesced. 

She put on her sheep wool lined boots with the rugged sole. She could wear it with a dress if she wanted to, but today she chose jeans and a sweater because right now she could still fit into regular jeans. She’d need new bras very soon, if not now, but the sweater looked great.

He walked out of her bedroom with the suitcase with both of their things in it. He looked at her right as she stood up from tying her boots. She smiled at him. He looked at her and everything in him melted at the sight of her. He froze in place, and she watched his eyes change from tactical planning to calm and contentment.

“You are so beautiful,” he gasped as stood there. 

She walked to him, and placed a hand on his cheek. He let go of the suitcase handle and hugged her tight to him.

“And you are going to have my baby,” he whispered in her ear, which made her shiver. 

She pulled back to look at him. She ran her fingers through his hair.

“Yes, I am, now, should we get moving?” she asked softly.

He kissed her and moved to grab her winter coat. He helped her into it. He’d get his coat at the cabin. The cabin that was empty and waiting for them, and them alone. They’d meet up with the rest of the family at his sister’s house for dinner later. 

He had called the day of the wedding to tell his family that they got married. He didn’t tell them about the baby. He wanted to wait. His sister thought it was a bit romantic to get married on Christmas day. She always knew her big brother had a hidden streak of kindness and tenderness in him. 

Now two days after Christmas, and two days after they got married, they were off to meet his family. They stood next to each other, and Jack called Caldwell. Caldwell asked if they were ready.

“We are ready. Scotty, beam us up,” Jack said. And in a flash, Sam and Jack were standing in the living room at his cabin.

The fire stove was already on. His sister must have stopped by to set the place up for them. There was no tree. There were no lights. But he did see the box of decorations sitting on the dining room table. 

He watched her walk around his cabin. It has been a few months since they’ve been up here. His bedroom here is where he had made love to her for the first time. And the second, maybe third and fourth? Who is counting?, he thought to himself.

Those memories flooded his mind as he watched her now. She felt his eyes on her and turned to him on the other side of the room. She smiled at him as she stopped in front of the wood stove to warm up.

“Still a little chilly in here,” she said. She could smell the wood burning, and she started to crave marshmallows. Must be pregnancy cravings, she thought to herself. 

“Then I guess I’ll have to do everything I can to keep you warm,” he said, sauntering over to her. “I meant it when I said you are beautiful. Pregnancy looks very good on you,” he said, dropping a kiss to her nose.

“I’m barely pregnant, Jack,” she said, averting her eyes to his chest. “But, thank you.” 

She gave him a quick kiss before continuing.

“So, when are we going over? How many will be there? How will I remember the names?” she was going on and on, and getting nervous.He put his hands on her shoulders.

“You are going to be fine. They are going to love you. Don’t worry about names. It will come in time,” he reassured her. 

He walked over to the box of decorations. He let his hands caress the box before opening it up. He put his face into the box and took in a big inhale. He was still gripping the box, and he closed his eyes.

Sam watched him from her spot next to the wood stove.

“You OK?” she asked quietly.

He glanced over to her and gave her half of a smile. He knew she’d been watching him. 

“Ya. I’m OK. Sometimes the smell of this box reminds me of a lot. Of times past. Of times I can never get back again,” he said, turning to look at her.

“Charlie,” she said more than asked in a low, quiet voice.

He crossed his arms in front of him and let out a breath.

“Ya,” he said. 

She walked over to him and took one of his hands in hers.

“I can’t replace her, nor would I ever try. And this,” she said, placing his hand on her belly, “will never replace Charlie. But when the time is right, both of us do want to know more about Charlie,” she said, squeezing his hand reassuringly. 

They stared at each other for a few moments, keeping his hand on her belly. He reached his other hand up to touch her cheek and let his eyes get buried in her.

“I love you,” he said in a soft voice.

“I love you, too. Why don’t you tell me what the box’s smell reminds you of,” she said softly.

He took her hand and they turned around to face the box.

“This here box smells like plastic and years-old cinnamon that I can hardly smell anymore. Each year when we’d pack up, Charlie would put one of the scented pine cones in the box” he said, getting verklempt as his memories poured out into words. 

“He said the box smelled better that way. The next year when we’d open the box, he’d immediately search for the pinecone to take it out. We’d go for a walk after we decorated and he’d throw it back out into the forest,” Jack said, his eyes distant as he spoke. 

“I tried to keep the tradition up, but you know our schedule, I rarely made it up here for the holidays. I haven’t touched this box in maybe six years,” he said. She put her arm around his waist to comfort him.

“Why don’t you and I do some decorating before going to your sister’s?” Sam asked. She was caressing his back as they stood over the box.

“We could see if the pinecone is still in there, and throw it in the trees on our way to your sister’s,” she offered. “We can replace it with a new scented one when we pack up the box again.”

His breath became uneasy. She did not intend to upset him. She could see him fighting back his emotions. He was good at internalizing his feelings, but this was different. He wasn’t winning this battle.

“It’s been so long since I have had someone to talk to,” he said in a whisper so soft she almost didn’t hear him, and she was standing next to him.

“Hey, c’mere,” she said, and he rolled into her arms. 

She held him for a while. She could tell he was probably crying, but she didn’t say or do anything other than hold him. He never was a fan of attention when his emotions got the best of him. After some time, he let his arms fall to his side. 

“Thank you,” he said softly.

He started to open the box. He took out two strands of lights. He smiled at her as she handed them to Sam.

“Can you check the bulbs? Please?” he asked, giving her a little laugh. She nodded her head and looked for an outlet to test them out on.

Jack went back to the box. He rummaged through it until he found the pinecone. It was still in there.

“Found it,” he said. She turned to him and saw what he held in his hand. She smiled at him, then continued to check the lights, giving him some privacy with his thoughts.

They didn’t have a tree, but Sam came up with an idea to string lights along the wall in the shape of a tree. They could use staples to hold the light strands. He loved the idea. They both stapled up a tree, then Sam plugged it in. 

The whole wall, from floor to ceiling, lit up in multi-colored bulbs in the shape of a pine tree. They didn’t need to turn the main lights on. They looked at each other and smiled.

“This is sort of romantic,” she said, grabbing him into a hug.

“Yes, it is,” he said, dipping his head to kiss her. “Thank you. For everything,” he said as he held her.

“Of course. Anytime,” she said. They held each other a few more moments.

“I guess we should get moving. Linda left the keys to the car in the kitchen. It’s a beater of a car, but it works. Let me go warm it up for you,” he said, then let her go so he could go turn the car on.

He put his coat on, and grabbed the keys to the 1989 Toyota Corolla. It was his youngest brother’s car before he got a new one. He agreed to keep it at the cabin in case anyone ever needed a vehicle. It sure came in handy now.

Jack started the car up, and turned the controls on full heat and full fan. It would take about five or ten minutes to warm up. He went back inside to wait with Sam.

He left his gloves inside and grabbed them off the small table by the door as he came back inside. She was waiting inside with her coat, hat, and gloves on. She looked up at him with her gorgeous eyes, and he melted into a puddle right there by the door.

“I’m a very lucky man,” he said, “you ready to go?” he asked.

“Yes you are, and yes I am,” she said with a big smile. She picked up the pinecone from the table and handed it to him.

“Alright, after you, _wife_ ,” he said, letting her out of the door first, then locking up behind them. 

They walked to the edge of the tree line. Jack looked at Sam briefly before kissing the pinecone and throwing it into the woods. Then they both turned around and made the short drive to his sister’s house. 

…

They pulled up to his sister’s house after only a ten minute ride. He parked out front along the street and turned the car off. She started to open the door.

“Ah! Wait. Let me come help you. Might be icy,” he said.

“Jack, I’m perfectly capable of,” then he cut her off.

“I know you are. Believe me, I know. Humor me. Please wait,” he said, and swiftly got out of the car to go to her side to help her out.

There was a little ice, but she saw it and stepped over it. He put his hand on her shoulder as they walked to the door.

The house was a two-story Colonial-style home with a two car garage. It had light brown siding, and white window frames outside instead of fake shutters. There were two tall columns on either side of the steps to the front lanai area. The front door was adorned on either side by outdoor chairs and a table. 

Sam could see a Christmas tree in the window. There were lights strung up outside as well. She turned her head and smiled at Jack.

“You ready?” he asked her as they climbed the four steps and knocked on the front door.

“As ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose,” she said, moving close to him as they waited for someone to come open the door.

The door opened, and the man who opened it took in a deep, dramatic breath, and brought his hand to his heart feigning a heart attack. He rolled his eyes and head back.

“Oh my god. Jack. You said she was beautiful. You said nothing about her being a goddess,” the man said.

“David, subtle as always. And yes, she really is. Sam, this is my baby brother, David. David, I’d like you to meet my wife, Samantha Carter,” Jack said.

David reached for Sam’s hand and proceeded to pull her inside. Jack followed with a grin on his face.

“Samantha, it is an honor to meet you. You exceed my brother’s description,” David said. “May I take your coat?” Sam smiled.

“Yes, of course, thank you, David.”

Just then, another man came into the front area. They all heard another gasp.

“Jack O’Neill, my goodness. I didn’t know you were bringing royalty with you. You must be his wife. Hello, I am Brian. I am David’s significant other. It is an honor to meet you,” Brian said.

“Hi Brian. I’m Sam. Nice to meet you, too,” she said.

“Let me take both of your coats. Everyone is back in the great room,” David said.

Jack slipped out of his coat and hat, and David took both of their coats to hang up. Brian slung an arm in Sam’s and held her like he was going to escort her around. He glanced up and down at her at his side, then looked to Jack with a huge smile on his face.

“Why Jack,” Brian started, then looked at Sam, “Sam, how far along are you? You look fabulous!” Brian said in a hushed tone.

Sam’s heart dropped, Jack furled his eyebrows at David, and then David choked as he turned back to the three of them.

“Brian!” David hissed.

“I, uh, how, Jack, help,” Sam sputtered.

“What? You are positively glowing,” Brian offered in apology.

“We haven’t told anyone yet. So hush. I will tell them tonight, not you or you. OK?” Jack said to David and Brian.

“I didn’t mean to upset you. But, it is quite obvious. Congratulations to you both,” Brian said.

“Thank you. It’s OK, just not how I planned this night so far,” Sam said nervously, and grabbed Jack’s hand, and moved away from Brian.

“Alright, shall we?” Jack asked, motioning for Brian and David to walk first.

He stood still with Sam for a moment letting her catch her breath.

“You OK? He really didn’t mean to upset you,” Jack said.

“Ya, I’ll be fine. Just a bit surprising that he knew,” she said with a laugh. 

“He is a good person, and he’s been good for my brother. Ready to meet the rest?” he asked.

“Ya, let’s do this. Time for this O’Neill to meet the O’Neill’s,” she said with a smile.

…

They walked back into the great room. It was a large, open space, with a huge L-shaped couch, some chairs, a table in the middle of the room, and a TV hung above the fireplace mantle. The tree was up front, so Jack’s sister had put a few smaller trees around the room that were no more than two feet tall. 

The room flowed into the kitchen, where three women were gathered making dinner. As soon as Jack stepped into the room, everyone seemed to yell his name at one time. A few of the kids ran up to hug him. But he made a quick move to the kitchen.

Jack saw his mom, and walked Sam to the kitchen first. His mother had heard the commotion when he walked into the room, so she looked up and smiled at him. She wiped her hands off, and moved in to hug her son.

“Jonathan, it’s so good to see you. Congratulations,” she said.

“Mom, I’d like you to meet my wife, Samantha Carter. Sam, this is my mom, Emily,” he said proudly.

“It’s an honor to meet you, ma’am,” Sam said.

“Please. Call me Emily. And it’s wonderful to meet the woman who stole my son’s heart again. He’s had nothing but wonderful things to say about you over the years,” Emily said.

Sam turned her head to Jack.

“Years?” she asked him. He shrugged his shoulders and pretended he didn’t have a clue what she was talking about.

“Yes, Sam, years. Jack has talked a lot about you. Hi, I’m his oldest sister, Linda. It truly is wonderful to meet you,” Linda said.

“This is Susan, the younger sister,” Emily said. Susan had her hands deep inside the turkey removing the stuffing.

“Hi Sam, sorry my hands are full or else I’d hug you. Nice to have you here,” Susan said with a smile, then went back to unstuffing the bird.

“So that is all the women in my family,” Jack said, caressing Sam’s back, giving her some comfort in the chaos. “Let’s finish the introductions,” he said, moving them back into the great room.

Sam briefly touched her belly with both of her hands. Emily caught that move, and her wide eyes moved quickly to Jack. She stared at her son, aware of what Sam’s motion could mean. Jack looked at his mother, and intuitively knew what she was thinking. He barely shook his head.

“Later, mom,” he said softly, and leaned in to kiss her cheek. “I’ll tell them all later,” he whispered to his mom. 

She smiled huge at him and then moved in to hug Sam. She let go of Sam, and then took Sam’s head within her hands. Emily got a few tears in her eyes, but said nothing. She didn’t have to. Sam knew the importance of this moment. 

She knew they all went through Jack’s pain of losing Charlie, and then losing Sara. Sam knew each of them had their own pain from losing them, too. She could never replace Sara or Charlie, nor would she ever want to. But to have Jack’s family accept Sam and their baby was something bigger than the both of them. She didn’t want to mess this up.

Sam was already over emotional due to the hormones. She understood the magnitude of the moment. So it didn’t take much for her to shed a few tears with Emily in the kitchen. Linda and Susan saw the embrace between their mother and Sam. They saw Sam wipe her face. They saw Jack standing there watching his mother and wife hug and cry, a hand on each of their shoulders. 

Linda could see Jack getting a little emotional, too, as far as her big brother and emotions go. She inhaled deeply and held it in as she stared at her brother. She put her hands up to her mouth in surprise of what she thought she figured out. Susan looked at her sister, and got the vibe, too. She went to the sink to wash her hands and dry them. The food can wait, she thought.

Women in general seem to know these things. Both sisters started crying at the same time. Susan walked up to Jack first and hugged him tight. Linda interrupted Emily and Sam, and grabbed Sam in a tight hug. Linda started crying, and the noises captured the attention of everyone in the great room. Emily stood and stared at her children in her kitchen with tears in her eyes.

David and Brian saw what was going on, and gave each other a smile. Jack’s dad, Jonathan, looked over and saw his wife with her hands on her face. He got up and walked to the kitchen to see what the commotion was about. 

Jack was still being hugged by Susan. Jack looked at his dad and said hi. He let go of Susan, and touched Sam on the back. Linda slowly let go of Sam.

“Dad, I’d like you to meet my wife, Samantha Carter. Sam, this is my dad, Jonathan O’Neill.”

Sam wiped her face of her tears, and shook Jonathan’s hand.

“It’s an honor, sir. Thank you for having us over,” she said with glassy eyes.

“It is our pleasure to have you here. You’ve done good on my boy here. Jackie, why is your wife crying in my kitchen?” Jonathan asked, tapping Jack on the shoulder. Sam smiled back at him. 

Jonathan put a hand on his wife’s hip and asked what was going on. Sam looked up to Jack and nodded her head. He gave her a small smile and put his arm around Sam, and turned her around so he could put his arms around her from behind, and pulled her back into his chest. She let out another small stream of tears.

“Everyone, can you please come here?” Jack said loudly. 

The two brothers-in-law got up from the couch and huddled in the kitchen with everyone else. Even the three kids joined the adults. Jack looked around at his family in the kitchen.

“As you know, I got married two days ago. Most of you know about this kind, wonderful, loving woman here that I married because I may have mentioned her once or twice over the years,” he said, and got some eye rolls and laughs in reply. 

“You know how long I waited to even kiss her,” he said, pulling her closer to his chest, and kissing the top of her head. Sam smiled shyly. 

“But what you don’t know is that I went to visit her for my birthday. We’d been together for a few months by that time. Anyways. Fast forward to this week. I went to visit her again for the holidays. We were sitting on her couch after...well, after,” he said, keeping it PG for the kids, and intentionally making Sam blush. It got him a small smack on his arms from her.

“Sam got nervous and went to her room to grab my present to give to me a little early. She got me a card,” he said, choked up on his own words. He cleared his throat and turned Sam to face him. She looked up at him and felt his hands tremble as he held her arms.

“She got me a card that said ‘ _Merry Christmas, Daddy_ ’ on it,” he said in a gruff voice. He stopped talking, and let that all sink in for everyone. He heard his sisters take in deep breaths. Not taking his eyes off of Sam, he continued. 

“This woman, who I have grown to love more than anything in this world, is carrying my child,” he said, not trying to hold back any emotions. 

In a flurry of emotion, hugs, handshakes, kisses, and more talking, all of Jack’s family congratulated them both. They’d spend the next few hours talking only of Sam, her history, how she fell for Jack, and of course, the baby.

They all sat down at a large table to eat. The food was passed around in large serving dishes, and everyone took what they wanted and passed the food dish to the next person. Sam passed on the wine, and chose hot chocolate with a candy cane in it. In fact, that’s all she drank that night. She stopped counting after six of them.

Jack laughed more at dinner than he had in a very long time. After dinner, he sat down on the couch with the guys and answered their questions about Sam, and what he could answer about his job. They shared beer or dirty martinis, and relentlessly teased Jack on any topic they could recall.

Jack explained how their lives just worked right now, distance and all. They would continue to make it work even if Sam got a job where she’d have to deploy again, which is really all he could say due to the nature of her job.

Sam sat around the kitchen island with the ladies who refused to let her clean up with them. She made herself another cup of hot chocolate with a candy cane. Linda eventually came to sit next to Sam with her own cup of the chocolatey concoction. 

“So,” Linda said with a huge smile. Sam looked to her and smiled after taking a sip of her drink.

“So,” Sam replied with a grin.

“I think this goes without saying, but you have really changed my brother’s life. I know he keeps things close and buries them deep. We thought we lost him after Charlie. It’s a miracle he didn’t eat a bullet,” Linda started, then took a sip of her hot chocolate before turning in her chair to face Sam.

“I added Bailey’s to mine, but this is a great drink without it. Thanks for sharing a family secret with us,” Linda said. “You guys got pregnant pretty quick,” she added quickly.

Sam took the candy cane out of her drink and began to chew on it and eat it. She was a little surprised by Linda’s comment, but deep down she knew they were all thinking it.

Emily and Susan were still in the kitchen within ear shot. No sense in trying to hide information from Jack’s family.

‘Um, I guess it might look that way,” Sam said, sticking the rest of the candy cane in her mouth and crunching it before she continued. “We talked about it. In the beginning. It is getting late for me to try. And I thought that I was not able to get pregnant,” she paused to take a sip of her drink.

“I was, uh, in an abusive relationship a while ago. He made me stop my birth control. So I figured that if I could get pregnant, it would have happened with the ex. Apparently it wasn’t me,” Sam said with a big smile on her face. The other ladies also smiled with Sam. 

Linda raised her cup, and Susan and Emily joined in. The four women clinked their coffee mugs or wine glasses for Linda’s toast.

“Well, then here’s to the virility of the O’Neill men and women!” she exclaimed. The four women laughed. 

“How many candy canes have you eaten?” Linda asked jokingly. “You are going to give our niece or nephew a sweet tooth before they even have teeth,” she said, making them all laugh.

“Maybe six?” Sam laughed out. “Thank you. All of you. I was nervous about tonight.”

“Sam, sweetie, all we want is for our Jackie to be happy. You are both old enough to know what you want. I’m just glad it was finally you,” Emily said, reaching to place her hand on Sam’s wrist across the counter.

“You make him happy. He can be an ass. We all know that, and I’m sure you are not immune. He’s got some dark shit inside of him. But at the end of the day, his heart is as big as his ego. Maybe bigger,” Susan said.

“And I’ve never seen him this affectionate before. Not even with Sara,” Linda offered, looking at her sister and her mom for verification.

“Ya, I think you’re right,” Susan agreed, pointing with her wine glass just as Jack walked up behind Sam and wrapped his arms around her from her perch on the high-top chair at the island. He kissed Sam’s cheek and Sam smiled. 

“See!” Linda exclaimed. 

Linda watched Jack and she stared at her big brother. He looked at her and mouthed “What?” to her.

“I’m happy for you, Jackie. I was just telling Sam how affectionate you are with her than before,” Linda said with a smile.

“Son, I’m happy for you. Now!” Emily said, clapping her hands, and her voice getting louder. “Let’s all end the night with hanging your ornaments!” she yelled loud enough for everyone to hear. 

The kids got all excited and seemed to know what was going on. Sam looked to Jack with questions in her eyes.

“It’s a little tradition we have,” Jack said, motioning for Sam to walk with the rest of them to the room where the tree was. 

“We waited for you to be with us this year. Normally on Christmas day, we each hang up an ornament on the tree that meant something to us over the years. Mom keeps them all in a box. Dad takes them out of the box and hands them to the person the ornament belongs to. That person then goes and hangs it up wherever they want on the tree,” he finished.

“That is so sweet,” Sam said, taking his hand as they walked through the house. “But, Jack, they didn’t have to wait for me.”

“Yes, we did,” he replied, tugging on her arm, and sitting her down on one of the chairs in the room.

Jonathan grabbed the box and put it in front of him. The first one he pulled out was for Jack.

“Alright, Jackie, you’re up,” Jonathan said.

Jack took the ornament out of its case, and showed it to Sam. It was a baseball ornament. Inscribed on the ball was the name ‘Charlie’. Sam gasped when she saw it, and her gaze rose to Jack. 

“Sara and I got this for Charlie when he was three, I think. Every year, even when I am not here, this gets hung on the tree,” he said, staring at the name on the ornament. “He really loved baseball,” he said. Sam smiled up at him.

“Go,” she whispered, and motioned for him to go to the tree to hang it. 

He hung the ornament, then went back to sit in front of Sam on the floor. He moved his body between her legs, and rested his back against the seat of the chair. It was about an hour long process for everyone to hang their ornaments and share their stories. Sam put her hands on Jack’s shoulders and gave him a small massage as they waited for the others to hang their ornament.

One of the grandchildren walked up to Jonathan and handed him a box. Jonathan smiled at all three of the kids.

“OK, campers, this is the last one,” Jonathan said. “This one has Sam’s name on the box,” he said, and Sam looked surprised by his words.

She smiled and leaned down to kiss Jack on the top of his head. He moved to the side so she could stand up.

“You guys really did not have to do this,” she said. 

She walked over to take the box from Jonathan. Jack stood as he waited for her to open the box. She turned to face Jack. He motioned with his head for her to go ahead and open it. She smiled and looked around the room before she opened the box.

She slowly took the ornament out of the box. It was a round, black ornament ball with gold writing. It looked like a young kid wrote on it. The gold letters read ‘Baby O’Neill’. The rest of the ornament was colored with handmade Christmas trees, stars, and candy canes, all hand drawn, probably with colored Sharpies. There were also squiggly lines in blue and pink. There was a gold ribbon that was tied on intended to be the hanger of the ornament.

Sam immediately started to cry, and Jack walked over to stand next to her. He took the ornament and looked at it. He looked at Susan, who was already crying.

“The kids made that for Sam tonight while the big kids were talking and cleaning,” Susan said softly. 

Brian stood up and grabbed his camera. He waited for Sam and Jack to walk to the tree. Then he took pictures of Sam hanging the newest ornament on the tree. 

“Jack, I don’t know what to say,” she whispered to him, wiping tears from her cheeks. 

He moved in close and hugged her.

“That’s pretty easy. Just a thank you and a hug,” he said, smiling into her hair. He let her go and she turned around to all of them.

“Thank you,” she said to the kids, almost in a whisper. 

“I didn’t know you all would feel about me. I was nervous, but you all have made me feel welcome. Just thank you.”

Sam was in a full-on pregnancy hormone cry. Jack smiled and pulled her back to him and held her. Everyone in the room started telling Sam it’s OK, she’s part of the family, and they were glad she was there. 

“I’m sorry. It’s these dang hormones,” she said, trying to laugh. She didn’t see David walk between them and the tree. Brian was in front of them with his camera.

“Oh, Jackie. Look what I have,” David said, holding something over Sam and Jack.

Jack grumbled and then laughed.

“What?” Sam asked.

“Look up,” Jack said.

Sam looked up with her glossy eyes, and then smiled. She looked at Jack, and laced one of her hands behind his head. She raised up a little on her toes, closed her eyes, and pressed her lips to his. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up off the floor a few inches. The room faded a little bit, but she could hear the kids squirm and squeal their disgust. She could hear some of the adults oooh and awww. And she could hear Brian taking photos.

David had held up the mistletoe and they had to obey the rules of the mistletoe. Jack put her back down and captured her eyes. He brushed the back of his fingers along her cheek, and rested his hand on the back of her head.

“I love you,” he whispered. “Merry Christmas, Sam.”

“Merry Christmas, Daddy,” she whispered back. 

He kissed her forehead, then they turned back to his family. _Their_ family. Sam would forever be an O’Neill. They all went back into the great room where they could all sit comfortably. Sam had asked Brian to take a picture of the ornament on the tree as a keepsake of the night.

Sam snuggled into Jack’s side as they sat on the couch with the family. He put his arm around her and she easily fell asleep on him. He woke her up around 11 PM so they could drive back to the cabin. Sam hugged her new family one by one, and thanked them all. 

They didn’t know when they would be back. Baby O’Neill would arrive sometime in July. Jack told his family maybe they’d make a summer trip to show off the baby. Brian promised to get the pictures to them as soon as he could. 

Susan grabbed a pinecone out of the bowl on a table in the great room. She went to the kitchen and put a few drops of cinnamon essential oil on it. Susan knew of Jack’s tradition. She handed it to her big brother as they got ready to leave.

Sam and Jack smiled at Susan and thanked her. They shared a knowing smile with each other. Emily, Susan, and Linda gave Sam extra long hugs. 

Jack took his sleepy wife back to the cabin and took her to bed.


End file.
